Sinful Divide
by TwinFlameDiaries
Summary: Half-bloods don't belong anywhere, it seems. With a hooded killer on the loose and a civil war slowly brewing, Sol Madani finds herself clumsily walking the middle path. Along the way, she finds comfort in the one place it shouldn't be. OCxReggie.
1. The First Bullet

Mid-freshman year was when I'd transferred from Southside High to Riverdale High. With my mother being sentenced to three years in prison and my dad living on the Northside, the state had left me no choice but to move in with him. That was last year.

It wasn't quite clear where I belonged, as was the case with most teenagers. Students at RH had given me a hard time at first, but things hadn't been much easier on the Southside. Somehow I always walked the middle path, and it wasn't nearly as peaceful as it sounded. To the Southside I was a flashy half-blooded prep, but I was too chaotic and unpolished to fit in with the kids at Riverdale High.

My name was Sol Madani, but no one ever called me that. To the people around me, I was either 'Sunny' or 'Mutt', there was no inbetween. The latter was a rather offensive dig at my mixed background. My mother was Peruvian, which explained the first name, and my father was half white and half Middle-Eastern.

The tormenting only stopped when I came into my own. I developped an attitude, got a backbone and learned how to push back when someone took it too far. It also helped when I became friends with Midge Klump, who in turn introduced me to her own clique.

I was no longer _that_ girl. I was that _girl_. That girl who wore pumps and tight clothes, but would turn you inside out if you dared to be lewd about it. The girl who had a bright smile and dimples, but who could claw your eyes out with her pampered, baby-pink fingernails if necessary.

Speaking of manicures, Midge and I had just finished getting our monthlies.

"So, are you still going out after the jubilee tonight?" I asked, as I stuck my key in the ignition. I started the vehicle, but not before checking my lip gloss in the rear view mirror.

"Yeah, I can't cancel on the guys now," said Midge. "I can't believe you're not coming. I don't think you've ever missed a night out with us. Trev's gonna be upset for sure."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up," I laughed.

"Seriously, he asked me three times to make sure you were coming," Midge said, as I pulled out of the mall's parking lot. "One of these days you're gonna have to let him know you're..."

"Emotionally unavailable?" I suggested. "A stone-cold bitch? Incapable of love?"

Midge snorted. "Jeez, lighten up a little."

"I mean it, the poor guy has no idea how messed up I am." I shook my head.

"I feel like you're just using all that as an excuse to make yourself feel better about not being interested in a nice guy like Trev," said Midge, idly scrolling through her phone. "Makes it seem like you're not into him because he's too good for you, when you _know_ you'd be head over heels for him if he were just a little more of an asshole."

I frowned, taken aback. Honestly, all this was news to _me_ , too. "That makes no sense," I said.

"Sure it does," said Midge. "You crave more sexual tension than Trev can offer you. Also I know you have a thing for cheekbones."

"I'm not that shallow," I insisted.

"Relax, girl, that's not being shallow," Midge chuckled. "We're young, it's okay to want excitement. Sometimes you want dessert before dinner."

I raised an eyebrow. "Dessert before dinner?"

"Yeah." Midge gave me a toothy grin. "Sweet and satisfying, but ultimately bad for you. Yeah, we'll all find our stable life-partner someday, but until then, we're okay with giving ourselves a cavity or two."

I chuckled under my breath. "You and Moose seem pretty long-term, though. He's a bit of a meathead, but he's not trying to play you, I don't think."

"Eh, after the tragedy that was me and Thomas Golds, I think I was ready for a main course," Midge said. "Now, _you_ on the other hand, could use some sugar. So I'm suggesting you come out with me tonight and I'll, uh, hook you up."

The wonderful thing about Midge was that, no matter the circumstances, she always made me laugh - whether she meant to or not. I shook my head in amusement. "I can't," I said. "I have an early shift at Pop's and I can't show up with a hangover."

"Fine, but it's not gonna be as fun without you there," said Midge with a pout. I giggled and reached over to pinch her cheek affectionately. She slapped my hand away.

o0o0o0o

Pop's didn't usually get many customers first thing in the morning, since it was more of a diner. The only customers in, currently, were Fred Andrews and his son Archie, who had arrived a good twenty minutes later after his dad.

I didn't run with the same crowd as Archie, but a boy that nice was friends with everybody. We were in the same year and shared some classes. He was a sweet kid. I had done some group projects with him before.

Archie disappeared into the back for a moment to wash his hands, and I was just bringing their order to the table, when the unthinkable happened. This was the fateful day that kicked off a series of traumatizing events.

A masked - no, hooded man came in with a gun, and before anybody could react, he was already on the counter.

"Show me the safe!" the thief hollered, grabbing onto Pop's collar. My blood ran cold. The shouting startled the tray out of my hand, sending its contents flying over the floor.

The hooded man turned his attention in my direction, his gun pointed. Fred Andrews put a hand on my wrist and stood up, slowly pulling me backward. Archie emerged from the bathroom in that moment, and the rest went by in a blur.

A gunshot going off, Archie running forward, someone pushing me to the ground. I just remember screaming.

The next thing I knew, the robber was gone and in Archie's arms lay his fatally wounded father, while Pop Tate called for an ambulance.

"Oh my God," I gasped, scurrying over. Fred's wound was oozing blood like a faucet, and I hadn't a clue on how to stop it. I put a hand on Archie's shoulder. He couldn't stop shaking.

"I have to get him to a hospital," he said through his tears.

I nodded. "The ambulance-"

"Will take forever," said Archie, cutting me off. "I'll drive him."

"You're too shaken up. I'll drive," I said. Archie didn't have it in him to argue, so he handed me the car keys and I helped him get his father in the backseat of his truck. His blood stained my work uniform, but that was the last thing on my mind right then. It was true that I was less erratic than Archie, but even my hands were shaking. I couldn't get the eyes of the robber out of my head. Green. Blank.

"Can't you go faster?" asked Archie.

"I'm going as fast as I can," I promised.

He turned to check on his wheezing father. "It'll be okay, Dad," he breathed, his voice on the verge of breaking. "We're almost there."

Archie jumped out of the vehicle before we'd even come to a halt. I quickly shut off the truck and aided the redhead in carrying Fred into the hospital.

"Help, please!" Archie choked out. "Help, hey! Someone help my dad!"

Nurses came running.

"What happened to him?" one of them asked. "Does he have any medical problems? Any conditions?" They took Fred off our hands and put him on a stretcher. Archie ran a desperate hand through his hair as he tearfully told the nurses his father's name. He followed them to the emergency room, but I couldn't bring myself to take any more steps forward.

I wanted to call someone, but who? My dad was at work, and we didn't get along much anyway. My mom, who was the only person I really _wanted_ to talk to in that moment, couldn't take calls until Monday. As for my friends, I tried Midge's phone first.

She picked up on the third ring. "Sunny," she said groggily. "What's up?"

Tears were spilling over my cheeks before I could even think of words to say. My voice was thick with emotion when I spoke. "Something really bad happened," I said.

I stayed in the waiting room, finally dry-eyed after a long, satisfying weep to relieve the shock. Archie joined me sometime later, and despite not being that close to him, I got out of my seat and hugged him. He needed it, judging from the helpless look on his face and the trails of dried tears on his blood-stained cheeks.

"How is he?" I asked, when I finally pulled away.

"He - he's in surgery." Archie rubbed the back of his head, red-faced from worry. "Thank you. For driving us here. I don't have my license yet and if you hadn't - I mean, maybe moving him in his condition made it worse, but..." He struggled to speak, his eyes welling with tears once again.

"I'm sorry," I said, exhaling shakily. "If I hadn't been there, maybe the thief wouldn't have shot his gun at all. Your dad took a bullet for me. I feel awful, Archie. I'm so, so sorry." This time he went in for a hug, but this did nothing to relieve me of the guilt bubbling in my chest. "Let me do something. Get you or your dad a change of clothes, buy you lunch - anything."

Archie smiled despite himself, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, Sol, but you don't owe me anything," he said. "My friends are already on their way. They'll be here any minute."

I nodded. "So will Midge," I said. And the news spread from there. Students and teachers poured into the hospital waiting room, little by little. I was sat in the corner, giving Archie and his friends some space to talk about what had happened. My head was resting against the wall and my knees were pulled up to my chest.

I only looked up when I heard Midge's voice.

"Sunny," she gasped, her kitten heels clicking against the hospital floor as she rushed to my side. "Oh, good lord, you're okay." She embraced me tightly, which gave me the chance to look behind her at the guys she'd come with. Moose and Reggie were there, dressed in their Bulldogs jackets.

"Hey, we heard what happened from Midge," Moose said. "Where's Andrews?"

I glanced at the seats he and his friends had been in a while ago, but they were empty now. "He was just here," I sniffled. "He can't be too far."

Midge's eyes were full of concern as she took in my appearance. "Is any of this blood yours?" she asked, pointing at my uniform.

I shook my head and showed her the back of my arm. "No, but I did cut myself on broken glass when Mr. Andrews pushed me out of the way," I said.

Reggie made a pained face at the cuts. "You, uh, gonna get that stitched up?" he asked. "Or checked out, at least."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'll just wrap it when I get home," I said, before turning to Midge. "You didn't happen to bring me an extra set of clothes, did you?"

Midge dug into her backpack and pulled out a neatly folded top and skirt, which I was sure would fall way too short on me. Midge and I wore the same size most of the time, but I was a head taller, being 5'7.

My theory was proven correct as soon as I'd changed into the clothes in an empty bathroom stall. The shirt ended right above my belly button and I was sure that one wrong move would give everyone a free show of my butt.

I sighed and turned to look in the mirror. My usually olive skin had a sickly yellow glow to it and my lips were as white as paper. I washed off my smudged makeup, leaving me barefaced. I finger-combed my black, waist-length curls and decided I was good to go.

Once outside, I tugged on the arm of the first semi-friend I could find. Reggie craned his neck down to look at me.

"I need your jacket," I said. "My whole stomach and half my ass are showing in Midge's clothes."

Reggie eyed me up and down, before giving me a shrug. "I don't see the problem with that," he said.

I glared. "This isn't the time," I said. I was used to Reggie's inappropriateness by now, and he was honestly the only one that could (sort of) get away with the sex jokes and 'peeking'. But with everything that was going on, I couldn't see the humor in anything.

Reggie shrugged off his jacket and held it out to me.

"Thank you," I said, before putting it on. The thing swallowed me up like a big blanket, and I couldn't complain. The jacket was still warm from Reggie's body heat, making it feel like a whole hug. On top of that, I had expected the collar to smell overwhelmingly of men's cologne. Instead I was met with a pleasantly sweet scent and just a hint of spice.

Reggie was doing that dumb pouty smile thing when I looked back up at him. I raised an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked.

He shook his head, but his smile only widened. "Nothin'."

"Okay then, weirdo." I turned away from the taller boy, off to find Midge.


	2. Orange Freeze

Fred Andrews was alive and back in his own bed by Monday. It took a whole bulldozer to get _me out_ of my bed, though. That bulldozer being my dad. My tall, broad, clean-cut, square, disciplined father. What had my mother ever seen in him?

Sure, I could see how he'd once been handsome during his younger years. He still was good-looking for his age. But he was the complete opposite of my mother, who had always taught me to follow my heart and gut over my head, which was problematic in itself. That mentality had gotten me in a whole lot of trouble before, and her 'free spirit' had landed _her_ in prison. She wasn't just wild, she was reckless. She was erratic.

My father, on the other hand, was controlled. Cold, almost. The only time he showed emotion was when he was worried about my safety. Especially now that there was a gunman on the loose, Dad wanted me to be more careful. I had to be home before dark, have my phone on me at all times, etc, etc.

I was a good thing he was at work all day, or he would have driven me to and from school every day. Instead, I rode with Moose and Midge.

"Look who's still wearing Reggie's jacket," teased Midge instantly, as I got in the backseat. Moose had a grin on his face too, but he said nothing.

I rolled my eyes. "He said I could give it back on Monday, so I am. I don't want to wrinkle it by putting it in my bag," I said quickly.

"Relax, Sol, I was joking," she laughed. "You and Reggie would never work. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"My point exactly," I said with a nod.

As usual, the morning went by painfully slowly. All the while, I felt a pair of eyes burning holes into my back. I turned around finally, and noticed Archie Andrews sitting two rows back, staring shamelessly. I raised my eyebrows questioningly, but he only put his head down in response.

I spun back around to face the front.

It wasn't until lunch that he approached me at my locker.

"Hey," he said.

I glanced up. "Archie," I said. "How's your dad holding up?"

"He, uh, he's getting better." Archie rubbed the back of his neck with his good hand. The hand that wasn't bandaged. "I can't get what happened out of my head. Everytime I think about it, I - I don't know."

"I get it." I nodded. "I do, Archie. My blood runs cold each time I remember the robbing. The shouting, the blood. Hell, I even drew the guy in my notebook while doing homework last night. I couldn't get him out of my head."

Archie's eyebrows went up. "Can I see?"

I hesitated, but reached into my bag for the sketch. "Well, it's not very good, but -" I handed him my notebook, and his eyes widened.

"Are you kidding? This is perfect. Now I can hand out flyers. Ask people if they know who it is," he said. "Can I..."

I nodded. "By all means," I said, and he proceeded to rip the page out of the notebook.

"Thank you so much," said Archie, before setting off in a hurry. I shut my locker and was just about to make my way to the cafeteria, when my phone rang. The number showing on the screen was unknown.

"Hello?"

 _"Hey, baby,"_ sighed my mother. _"How are you?"_

I sagged back against the lockers, my eyes shut in relief to hear her voice. "Mom. You have no idea how happy I am to hear from you."

 _"I'm glad,"_ my mom said softly. _"You weren't in class just now, were you? I only have about fifteen minutes to talk."_

"No, it's fine. Mom, I was thinking of coming to visit. I have my license now, so maybe Dad'll let me come. Hell, even if he doesn't, I'll-"

 _"I don't think that's a good idea, Sol,"_ she said, cutting me off. _"I'm just calling to check up on you."_

My chest was tight with disappointment. "I haven't seen you since last Christmas, though." I hated how small my voice sounded, but there was nothing I could do about it.

 _"I know, honey, but things are complicated right now,"_ she said.

I put my head back against the metal and swallowed. "They always are," I argued. "I gotta go, Mom. My friends are waiting." I was lying, but my throat was closing up and somehow I had just lost all motivation to talk to my mother. Maybe I was being cruel, or petty, but I was afraid that I would start crying if I continued the conversation.

 _"Okay, I'll try to call on Wednesday. But you know, no promises. It's all very -"_

"Complicated, I know," I said wryly. "Talk to you later." I hung up the phone, not even giving her a chance to say her good-byes. It wasn't like I'd had a chance to say mine last year.

A shadow suddenly cast over me, making me open my eyes. Reggie Mantle stood in front of me, his height almost towering, his eyes squinted curiously. "What's wrong, did your boyfriend just break up with you over the phone?" he said.

I sighed and pushed myself off the lockers. "Tell me, Reggie, do you have an off-button I can use to make you stop talking? You have crap timing, as usual."

"There's ways to make me stop talking, you know -"

"You can choke, Reggie Mantle," I grumbled.

He sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth. "That's not very nice," he said. I tried to push past him, but he held onto my arm. "Seriously, though, what's wrong?" he asked, his tone suddenly different somehow. The mellowness in his voice caught me off guard.

"I - well, it's just..." I trailed off. "Family stuff, I guess." I forced a smile, and suddenly remembered something. "By the way," I said, reaching into my locker for the folded blue-and-yellow clothing article, "here's your jacket back. I put it through the laundry, too."

The taller boy's eyebrows shot up. " _Laundry_? I should wife you up, ASAP," Reggie joked.

"Yeah, too bad neither of us do the 'commitment' thing," I chuckled. He stuck his nose in the fabric of his jacket and sighed into it.

"Coconut. Nice." He put the jacket on in one swift movement, winked and said, "I'll see you later, Madani."

And he did.

But the next time we _spoke_ was a few days later at Pop's for Retro Night, which was an event hosted by Riverdale's very own Betty Cooper in an attempt to keep the Shoppe from closing down.

As it turned out, I was the only staff member who hadn't quit after the shooting. The River Vixens and I were the ones who made and handed out the milkshakes that night. A bunch of people showed up, including Josie and the Pussycats, who had taken to the roof of the building to perform a cover.

"Sol-ster!" an obnoxious voice hollered from the other side of the counter, as I finished putting whip cream on top of two milkshakes. I looked back over my shoulder to see, you guessed it, Reggie. I was taken aback by how minimal my annoyance for the captain of the football team had become lately. I barely even rolled my eyes at him anymore.

In fact, his loud, obnoxious, bro-ish behavior was kind funny to me now.

"You wanna keep it down, Mantle?" I said, a hand on my hip.

He smirked and leaned forward on his forearms. "Can you blame me for getting excited? You should wear shorts more often. I mean, damn. If this counter wasn't holding me back-"

"Down, boy," said Veronica, suddenly beside me. "Quit harrassing her, will you?"

"It's okay, Veronica," I laughed.

"Yeah, Veronica, can't you see we're having a moment?" Reggie's gaze didn't leave me for a second. I froze. Was he still just joking?

"Fine, but if you need pepperspray," Veronica said to me, "I have some in my bag." She left with the two milkshakes I'd prepared.

I pushed myself up on the counter, now only inches away from him. "I don't know why I put up with you," I said, nudging him with my shoulder. He put a playful arm around me, like he'd done so many times before. But it felt different this time. Less sleazy, somehow.

"I know why," he said.

I smiled, catching his drift. "Don't flatter yourself," I said, putting a hand under his chin. "Either tell me what you want or go and bother some other girl."

Reggie's eyes had a glint to them. "What I want?"

"Something that's on the menu," I said sternly.

"Bummer," said Reggie, his voice oddly low. All humor was gone from his demeanor, now replaced with something else. Something that put my stomach in a knot. He raised a hand to tuck a stray curl behind my ear. "Nothing on the menu even comes close to what I'm craving."

I needed a moment to compose myself, since I was seeing stars by now. I ignored the way he was looking at my lips; the way his fingers were hooked in the collar of my Pop's shirt, and I distanced myself from him.

"Then I can't help you," I said, as steadily as I could. "But if it's an Orange Freeze you want, I can get it for you." I jumped off the counter, pretending not to see his look of disappointment and sexual frustration, no doubt.

"I'll pass," he said, exhaling through his nose. "See you at school, Sol." He left with that, and I needed a whole minute to catch my breath.

Midge was beside me now, a tray in her hand. Her eyebrows were raised in alarm. "What was _that_?"

I cleared my throat and put a hand on my chest. "What was what?" I asked.

"Come on, I'm not blind," said Midge, half-gasping at the expression on my face. "You do like him! You like Reggie!"

My eyes widened at how loud she'd just said that. "Inside voices, please," I said. "It's just a stupid crush, okay? No, not even a crush. I'm attracted to him. That's it. You said it yourself - Reggie and I wouldn't work."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"But, nothing." I shrugged, somewhat aggressively. "Let's just forget this. He's not one for a serious relationship and the last time I was 'casual' with someone, it ended with my pictures on some sketchy porn site."

Midge scowled. "Wait, what? Why didn't I know about this?"

"Because," I sighed, "It's embarrassing. And the guy didn't use my name. No one found out, but he made a point of sending me the link when I dumped him."

"Oh my God." Midge put her tray down and wrapped her arms around me. "That's horrible."

And it had been. The whole ordeal was still on my mind hours later, as I was getting ready for bed. Little did I know I would have a lot more to deal with the next day.


	3. Watch Dogs

My day was littered with free periods and cancelled classes, which was why I spent most of my time in the cafeteria, wondering why the hell my best friend hadn't told me she wouldn't be in English class. I was munching on a protein bar when I noticed a handful of jocks, including Archie and Reggie, trailing down the hall.

I held the last half of my protein bar between my teeth as I grabbed my bag off the floor and rushed to catch up with them.

"Reggie!" I called out. He stopped in his tracks and spun around to face me, his friends looking on expectantly. I came to a halt in front of the raven-haired boy, and took the protein bar out from between my lips. "Have you seen Midge? She won't answer her phone."

I wasn't used to the serious look Reggie was giving me, so I froze.

"What?" I stuttered.

"She's at the hospital with Moose. Some lunatic attacked them at Lover's Lane last night," Reggie said. "Moose got shot in the chest multiple times trying to protect Midge."

The news was like someone had taken a car door and slammed it against my head. I swayed on my feet, as I tried to process Reggie's words. Another shooting. Another victim. "Are they -" I began, but Reggie cut me off.

"They're alive. Both of them," he said. I released the breath I'd been holding and tried to push past him, but he grabbed me. "Easy," he said. "They're okay." He didn't release me, not even when I asked him to.

"I have to get to the hospital," I said.

"You're shaking," he protested. "You gotta, like, sit down or something."

I shook my head. "It's the same guy, I know it is," I said, blinking the tears out of my eyes. "The one that shot Archie's dad."

"Hey, we don't know that for sure." Reggie's hands moved to my shoulders instead as he got down to my eye level. "So just - just relax, okay? The guys and I are on our way to the hospital right now. You wanna come?"

I nodded.

"Okay," Reggie said quietly, as he brushed his thumbs over my collarbones in an attempt to calm me. He loosely wrapped an arm around me and guided me along, even taking my bag from me.

I rode with Reggie, Archie and Tyson in Reggie's Chevrolet, while some of the others took their own cars. I checked my phone periodically to see if Midge had texted back, but she hadn't. Despite knowing she was okay, I still couldn't help but worry.

She was standing by a vending machine when we arrived at the hospital. I exhaled, relieved to see she was still in one piece. I embraced the shorter girl, who looked tired beyond belief. When I pulled back, I gave her the meanest look I could muster in the moment.

"Why do we _have phones, Midge Klump_?" I demanded. "And why didn't you tell me what happened?"

"I don't have my phone anymore," explained Midge patiently. "I must have lost it last night, trying to run for help."

"We're glad you're okay, Midge," Archie said. "How's Moose doing?"

"He's okay, thank God. He's in room 34B if you want to see him," Midge said.

"Awesome. Thanks, Klumpster," Reggie said, before sloppily pressing a kiss to the shorter girl's cheek and half-running out of the waiting room with the guys hot on his heels.

Midge and I joined the guys a little while later, when most of the football team was gone. We hadn't wanted to overcrowd the room. Instead, we had gone to the little gift shop and gotten Moose a little plushie. When we got there, Archie was asking the exact questions I otherwise would have asked.

"Is there anything else you remember about how he looked?"

Moose, who was hooked to about a handful of machines, nodded. "His eyes."

"They're green, right?" Archie said.

Midge spoke from behind me. "They were blank," she answered for her boyfriend. "It was like there wasn't even a person behind them. He was like Michael Myers. He had the devil's eyes."

I exchanged glances with Archie, who was the only other person that could confirm what I was thinking. "Sounds about right," I sighed. Archie nodded.

"We have to do something," he said.

"Like what, Andrews?" Reggie asked through a mouthful of what I presumed was Moose's pudding. "The cops are already on it."

"Yeah, like they were on Jason's murder case," Archie shot back. "They didn't find out who killed him, though. My friends and I did."

I frowned. "So, you're saying we should hunt this guy down?"

"No," Archie said. "No, I have a better idea."

o0o0o0o0o

"What the _hell_ , Archie!" I burst out. "This was your grand idea? Putting a group of teenage boys up against a serial killer with a gun?"

Archie was speechless for a moment, which I couldn't blame him for. I'd been quite aggressive, pulling him into a corner and shoving a piece of paper in his face. I had plucked it out of Tyson's hand minutes prior, the words 'Red Circle' sticking out to me more than anything.

 _Feeling Scared,_  
 _Want Protection?_  
 _CALL THE RED CIRCLE_

Archie's own cell phone number followed the message, and it was framed by - exactly, a red circle.

"Who's in on this?" I demanded.

"The whole football team," Archie said. "We're trying to help. People are scared-"

"Which is why it's such a bad idea," I was exasperated. "I'm sorry, Archie, but this is a suicide mission if I've ever seen one. You're putting yourselves in so much danger."

"It's better than doing nothing," he argued. "I saw the way you reacted when you heard about Moose getting shot. You want this guy gone as much as I do."

"Not by creating more victims!"

Archie blinked. "Well, it doesn't matter if you agree with it or not, because it's happening," he said.

I scoffed. "Right! Go ahead, Arch. Turn Riverdale High into a battlefield. Who cares if kids get hurt in the process? Fight fire with fire and burn the whole town down, why don't you."

Archie opened his mouth to speak, but I slapped the flyer into his hand and stormed off. My fingers were tingling with anxiety and my head was going a mile a minute. Ever since the attack on Pop's, I hadn't quite been the same. I was more on edge than ever and ready to blow at any moment, whether it was in tears or anger. All I dreamed about anymore was those goddamn green eyes and that forsaken hood. I was a mess.

I remained passively upset, or broody, as Midge liked to call it, throughout the rest of the day and even part of the next.

Finally, as I was sitting in the student lounge, a half-eaten apple in hand, Reggie strutted in and dropped his book bag at my feet, before joining me on the couch.

"Andrews says you've been in a mood," he said. "So, what's on your mind?"

I side-eyed him for a moment, swallowed the bite I had taken out of my apple and closed my American History text book, before fully spinning my upperbody to face the nonchalant idiot.

"You tell me," I said.

"See, that's not how it works," Reggie said. "I can't tell _me_ what _you're_ angry about, because I don't _know_."

I crossed my arms and tried not to think of the many ways I could choke Reggie Mantle in that moment. He was infuriating. "It's that dumb watch group Archie is starting," I grumbled. "Please tell me you're not actually joining them."

Reggie sucked in a breath through his teeth and tilted his head. "Sorry, babe, I was in the room when it happened," he said. "I'm part of the Red Circle."

I sank further into my seat. "Great."

"You'll thank us when we kick some serial killer ass and save the town," said Reggie with so much confidence that I couldn't help but laugh, albeit a frustrated laugh.

"Do you not hear how ridiculous that sounds? This is real life, Reg, not some action hero movie," I said. "I want you to be safe. You're my friend and I care about you, even though you piss me off sometimes."

A lopsided smile found its way onto Reggie's face. "Only sometimes?" he asked.

"More often than not," I corrected.

"Like when?"

"Like," I said, "when you do that thing you did at Retro Night. Right before you left."

"Oh. You mean when I got close to you like this?" He scooted closer and put his hand right behind my ear. "Or when I touched your hair?"

I hated how breathless I sounded when I spoke. "We're at school..."

"There's no one here right now," Reggie said quietly.

"You're..." I exhaled, my brain too fogged up to make coherent sentences on the first try. "You're too bold. You're cocky."

"I thought you liked that about me," said Reggie, his other hand freely moving up my right thigh

I froze as I came back to my senses. I pulled back with a scowl. "I don't," I lied. "I _don't_ like you. We're friends, Reggie, so quit hitting on me." I picked up my bag, got to my feet and left the lounge before I could look at his heart-wrenching expression for too long.

And as if things weren't already stressful, the town's newspaper came out with a brand new, blood-curdling article the next day. A letter, from Riverdale's very own serial killer.

"This is the black hood. I am the man who shot the adulterer at Pop's. I killed the child predator in Greendale. I shot the drug-addicted teenagers at Lover's Lane. Riverdale is not innocent. It's a town of hypocrites, degenerates, criminals. My wrath is the price of your lies your secrets, your sins. I will not stop. I cannot be stopped. I am the wolf. You are the flock. This is the blood-letting. You will hear from me again," my father read over breakfast. He was as pale as the white blouse he wore to work every Wednesday.

I was cold all over. There was no way I'd finish my eggs an sausages now. I had lost my appetite the moment he'd started reading that article.

"I need you to quit your job at Pop's," my dad said. "You work late shifts and it's not safe for you."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not quitting my job."

"Sol, did you hear me? I said it's not safe!"

"It's not safe anywhere. Fathers are killing their sons in this town." I stabbed my breakfast repeatedly with my fork. "My job at Pop's is keeping me sane right now. Between psychopaths who think they're doing God's work and boy drama at school, I could use a distraction."

As expected, the latter of the two problems sparked my father's concerned interest more than the first. "Boy drama? What boy? Who's the boy?"

I put a hand under my chin, propping my head up on the dinner table. "Forget I said anything. I'm off to school," I announced, as I excused myself from the table.


	4. Disbanded

I was sitting in my German elective when Kevin Keller of all people took a seat next to me and shoved his phone in my face.

"Have you seen this?" he asked.

I blinked. "I - no, I haven't." I took the smartphone out of Kevin's hand and looked intently at the screen, already afraid of what I was seeing.

Archie, in the middle of a group of buff, half naked guys. None of the other men's faces were visible, since they were wearing red ski masks. Or were they hoods

I was speechless throughout the whole video. Archie ended with a threat:

 _"We will find you. We will hunt you. And we will end you,"_ he said.

I had chills. I assumed the guys behind Archie were the other Bulldogs, since he had the whole damn football damn involved in the Red Circle.

"It went viral overnight," Kevin explained as I handed him back his phone. "What do you think?"

I scoffed. "I think they're gonna get us all killed," I said with an exasperated shake of my head. "Or at least themselves."

Kevin nodded in agreement, before flashing me a smile. "At least they all looked good in the video," he said lightheartedly. "Is it just me or are is the football team getting buffer by the week?"

I chuckled. "Too bad we can't see who's who." Yeah, right, I thought. Like I had eyes for anyone other than Reggie. It was embarrassing how fixated I always was on him whenever he was in the room.

My slight attraction to him had grown into a big, fat, disgusting crush overnight. I might even go as far as to say I actually had feelings for him. This was why it hurt me twice as much when he gave me the cold shoulder in class the following day. No flirting, no pouty smirk - nothing. We made small talk, but that was it. He barely even looked at me at all.

Midge, who sat next to me in that same class, saw my mood change instantly. I was sulking, and Midge knew me too well to think nothing of it. She nudged me.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

I jerked my chin towards Reggie, who was sat two rows further towards the front of the classroom. "You saw how he talked to me just now. It's like he hates me all of a sudden," I sighed.

Midge frowned. "Didn't you tell him to, like, back off?"

"No, I said he should stop hitting on me. That we're just friends," I muttered.

Midge stifled her laughter. "And you don't think that may have bruised his ego?" she said. "Face it, Sunny. Reggie's version of friendly is flirting. And if he can't flirt, then he has nothing to say to you."

I sat back in my chair, arms crossed.

"Besides, maybe this is for the better. You wanted to get over him, remember?" Midge continued.

I shook my head. "Turns out I can't," I said. "It's like... every time I see him, or think about him, that Frances song, 'when it comes to us', plays in my head. It's ridiculous. I didn't even think I _could_ feel this way."

Midge didn't seem surprised. "What are you going to do about it?" she asked carefully.

Truth was, I didn't know. Reggie wasn't relationship material and I didn't want to be just another number on his list (I knew all about that stupid playbook half the team had gotten suspended for last month), but I also hated the thought of just ending things altogether.

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Talk to him, I guess," I said. Midge nodded in agreement and expressed how she thought that that was a good idea.

I was nervous beyond belief that whole afternoon. I planned to confront Reggie after football practice. I waited outside the guys' locker room for a while, but I soon learned that there wasn't actually anyone there. Had practice been cancelled?

It was after school hours, so mostly everybody was gone from what I could tell. Hell, even some of the lights were off.

There was an eerie feeling to the halls that day and I knew it was stupid, but I felt like I was being watched.

I heard a door slam somewhere, which made me jump and clutch my bag to my chest as I turned around. "Is anyone there?" I asked. My heart made a leap as another door slammed, louder this time. Closer.

I got out of there as quickly as I could. I turned the corner and descended the stairs on quick feet. If only I hadn't been wearing heels.

I was nearly hyperventilating when I reached the biology and science department of the school. Another door opened and fell shut, this time right next to me.

I spun towards the sound, fist raised instinctively.

I wanted to cry out of relief when I recognized the person who'd emerged from the chemistry lab.

"Reggie?!" I dropped my fist and bag at the same time, still trembling on my feet.

The taller boy looked puzzled. "Madani? Why are you..."

"I thought - I thought you were someone else," I said. "What are you still doing here so late?"

"Detention," Reggie said. Figures, I thought. "Then I stuck around to finish a project and I needed the chem lab for that."

I nodded in understanding. "Didn't you have football practice?"

Reggie scoffed unexpectedly. He adjusted the strap of his backpack and shook his head. "Nah, Weatherbee suspended the team. We're not allowed to play until Andrews signs some apology letter for the video we made."

"Ah. About that -"

"I know, it was stupid. I told him it was a bad idea, but..." He sucked in a breath and left it up to my imagination to finish the sentence. "Anyway, what are you still doing here?"

"I -" I cut myself off momentarily, squeamish under Reggie's gaze. Maybe I should just back out. Maybe I should just lie. I took a breath and decided against it. "I waited for you, actually. Outside the locker rooms."

"Hey, look, if you wanna yell at me for trying to kiss you again -"

"No!" I said quickly. "That's not at all what I... I mean, I was going to apologize and tell you I kind of didn't mean what I said."

Reggie snorted. He leaned back against the door of the chemistry lab. "Why do you girls always do this?" he said. "Just freaking say what you mean, it's not that hard."

"Actually, it is when it comes to stuff like this," I protested.

Reggie's eyebrows knitted together. "Stuff like what?"

"Are you really that blind?" I asked exasperatedly. "Or do you just not care? You know what, I was right about you. I'm glad I didn't give into this stupid, fleeting, groundless crush -"

I didn't get to finish my rant, because Reggie had already lunged forward, grabbed me around my waist and leaned down to catch my lips with his own.

I reached up to cup his face instantly, leaning into him with everything I had. The kiss was even better than I'd imagined. Rougher. Needier.

I didn't know if my mind was playing tricks on me, but suddenly I was up in his arms, being carried into the chem lab. He put me up on one of the higher desks in the front and I locked my ankles behind his back, half scared he might distance himself from me.

He didn't.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed when we finally came up for air, but it had been long enough for me to leave lipstick marks on his neck, collar and jaw, and mess his hair up. I, in turn, felt like my lips were swollen, and somewhere along the way he had undone a couple of the buttons on my denim dress.

"Well, then," I breathed, as I pushed back my own mess of hair. "I, uh, have to go. I've got a shift at Pop's."

Reggie smirked and cupped the back of my neck once more. "I'll come with. You can get me that Orange Freeze we talked about last time."

I smiled at the playful, cocky expression he had on his face. Some things never changed. "Okay, let's go."

o0o0o0o0o

I approached Reggie's booth with a tall glass of the orange drink in my hand, ignoring the lustful look he was eyeing me with. "Here you go," I said, but Reggie wasn't satisfied. He took my hand and pulled me closer, until I lost my balance and had no choice but to sit in his lap.

I chuckled. "I'm at work," I said, nervously glancing at Pop, who was too busy sweeping the floors to notice the jock currently flirting with his only employee that evening.

He opened his mouth, to make some inappropriate remark no doubt, but I cut him off as a thought crossed my mind. "So, about the Red Circle..." I trailed off when I saw him shake his head.

"I quit," he said. "I figured you were right. We disbanded this morning when Weatherbee cut the football team."

"I was right, huh?" I laughed at the way he rolled his eyes. "Anyway, that's too bad. I was just thinking how some extra protection would be nice. At and around school, at least."

Reggie's eyebrows knitted together in thought. "What changed your mind?" he asked, wrapping a steadying hand around my waist. I grabbed onto the collar of his leather jacket in response. It was a nice change from his usual RH Letterman.

"When we were at school, I thought someone was following me. It freaked me out so much." I sighed. "I know it makes no sense, but the Black Hood could be anyone. He could be anywhere. I sound crazy, huh?"

"A little," said Reggie honestly. "But if there's ever trouble, you can call me, you know. Red Circle or not." He smirked smugly, a habit of his that I would have hated if I didn't like him so much.

I smiled. "You'd kick someone's ass for me?" I joked.

"For you, I'd kick anyone's ass," he said.

I chuckled. "And to think I almost started carrying a switchblade of my own, when I have you to protect me."

"A switchblade, huh?" Reggie breathed a laugh. "Old school."

"Well, it's no firearm, but I know how to use it," I said with a shrug. "Kids at Southside High taught me. Serpents, like my mom."

I didn't know how I had expected Reggie to react. He knew bits and pieces about my background, but clearly this was the first time he had heard about my mom being a Serpent. Or maybe he had just chosen to ignore it. He didn't seem thrilled, that was for sure.

I felt myself go gradually paler. "Reg..."

"Hm? What, no it's cool," he said, reaching past me for his Orange Freeze. He took a sip. "You can protect yourself. That's, like, sexy." And yet, he didn't sound genuine. Typical. Northsiders never understood.

I got off his lap, excused myself and went back to work, despite his half-hearted protests. Even he didn't seem sure of himself at that point. It was... upsetting. Disheartening.

He came by the counter a few minutes later to pay for his drink, offered me an awkward wink and said he'd see me at school. Then he left.

Pop joined me at the cash register, a jolly smile on his face. "Isn't it exciting?" he asked. "Being young isn't always easy, but no one can make your heart pound like that one high school sweetheart."

"It's all downhill from here, huh?" I said.

Pop laughed heartily. "Pretty much!" He patted me on the back.

I wondered just how bad it would get if the start was already as rocky as it was. It might not have been very challenging on the surface, but the problems to come were a lot bigger than anyone could have predicted.

The next morning, I received an envelope. It was bizarre to see an unfamiliar package in my locker, my name written on it in big, black letters. I glanced around, as if that would help me find the sender. I opened the envelope and drew out a letter first. The rough handwriting sent chills down my spine.

 _'This town is full of sinners, and the reckoning is now._  
 _I spared your life once._  
 _Now it's your turn to prove you are worthy._  
 _Don't let history repeat itself, Sol, for I'm watching your every move._  
 _You are half a snake, after all.'_

I grabbed onto my locker door to keep from swaying. The Black Hood had reached out to me. He was watching me. Judging. I could be next.

It took me the entire morning to build up the guts to look at what else was in the envelope.

Pictures. They were pictures.

The initial shock made me tear up without a sound. I sat in the girls' locker room, still dressed in my P.E. clothes, as everyone else was off having lunch. I couldn't move.

The first picture was of me and Reggie at Pop's. Me on the counter, him with his lips inches from mine. We were smiling. The second was of us in the chemistry lab, tongues practically down each other's throats. His hand was on my chest and both of mind were on his back, underneath his shirt. So the Black Hood _had_ been following me the day before. He'd spied on me. Taken pictures.

I couldn't breathe.

The third, and most horrifying photo, was one I had taken myself. But that had been months ago. It was of me in lingerie, posing by my vanity. The Black Hood had plucked it right off the Internet, by the looks of it. The website link in the search bar and the ads in the corner of the page were a dead giveaway. This was the porn site I had told Midge about, that night at Pop's.

 _Don't let history repeat itself._

I had to stay away from Reggie. There was no doubt about it. We were both committing a sin in the Black Hood's eyes by hooking up casually, or even hooking up period. It wasn't safe for either of us.

Maybe it was time to start carrying that switchblade.


	5. Bait

**Ahh chapter 5 already! This is the longest and most intense one yet. I hope you've enjoyed the story so far!**

The first few days of avoiding Reggie came easy to me. The fear that the Black Hood had instilled in me was strong enough to want to stay away, no matter how much I missed him. Still, a part of me knew I couldn't keep this up for much longer.

Reggie didn't text or call that much, but he was always consistent in meeting me at my locker. That was exactly what he did, once the weekend was over.

"Yo, Sol-ster!" he called, but I spun around as soon as I saw him approaching. Hurry, I thought. Just walk away.

I hugged my books to my chest and turned the corner, thinking I had gotten away with it, until I ran smack into Archie Andrews.

"Sunny," he said apologetically, as I bent down to grab my books off the floor. "Sorry, I didn't see-" He cut himself off when he saw the big, brown envelope. I cursed myself. Why did I even carry that thing around anymore? Archie handed me the envelope, hesitation written all over his face.

It could just be a random letter. Archie had no reason to be suspicious. _Unless_ , I thought, _he's_ _gotten one of them himself, too._

"Is this..." He trailed off. "People have been getting messages from the Black Hood. Betty's mom. Veronica's parents. My dad, even."

Reggie came jogging up to us. "Sunny," he called again. He locked eyes with his teammate and offered an acknowledging nod. "Andrews."

"Hey, Reggie," Archie said.

Reggie turned to me. "You're not avoiding me, are you?" he asked, a halfhearted smirk on his face. I couldn't tell if he was joking or if he was genuinely hurt. But it was Reggie. He was smug, even when his ego was bruised.

I shook my head. "Of course not," I said quickly. "I gotta go, though. Archie and I have an upcoming project we need to discuss. Don't we?"

Archie was confused for a moment, but he caught on as soon as I shot him a look of despair. He nodded. "Yeah, it's uh, for our World History class," he said.

"Mhm. Let's go, Arch, we don't have much time." I tugged on the sleeve of his RH jacket and half dragged him away. I didn't dare look at Reggie's face. He wasn't perfect, but he didn't deserve to be jerked around like that. Even if it was for his own safety.

"What was that about?" Archie asked, as I shut the door of the empty classroom.

I slapped the envelope down on the desk beside me. "Go ahead," I sighed. "Take a look. But don't you dare judge me for any of it."

Archie hesitantly reached into the envelope and pulled out the photos. He looked up at me with wide eyes and a frown. "That's you?" he asked.

I nodded. "There's a letter," I said, just as he took the piece of paper in his hands. I saw the color drain from his face as he read the words over and over.

"I can't believe this. You have to go to the police with this," Archie said.

"No. No, the Black Hood could be anyone. Even Sheriff Keller for as far as I'm concerned," I said. "That's why I was disappointed when I heard the Red Circle disbanded. At least you guys could be trusted."

"I thought you were against the Red Circle," said Archie.

"I was, but then I realized we're all in danger anyway," I reasoned. "Everyone in this town is a sinner, one way or another."

Archie said nothing. He only looked at the pictures, shaking his head. "Reggie," he said. "Does he know?"

"God, no. He's already on that psycho's radar. If I tell him, he might be targeted," I said.

"So now you're just avoiding him?" Archie didn't sound impressed. "How long do you think that will work for?"

My heart was beating a mile a minute. It was concerning how easily my anxiety could betriggered lately. My hands began shaking every time the topic of the Black Hood came up. Times like those were when I wondered why I had even stopped taking my prescription meds in the first place.

"Sunny, I know you want to protect him, but the Black Hood is just playing a sick game with you. I know, because he's doing the same thing to Betty," Archie said.

I frowned. "Cooper?"

"Yeah, he's threatening to hurt everyone she loves if she doesn't cut them off," Archie said, lowering his voice. Clearly he wasn't meant to tell me any of this. "We can't let him win."

"Then what do we do?" I asked.

"We show him we're not afraid," Archie said firmly. "We draw him out and make an end to it."

It was a bad idea, that much I was sure of. And yet, for some reason, I agreed to help.

The Black Hood was predictable, and he was watching me. One wrong move, and he would undoubtedly come after me. So that night, Archie invited me over to come up with a strategy. We just needed one more thing.

"I sent Veronica to get my gun from where I hid it," Archie said. We were sitting in the dim light of his living room, our inner turmoil ironically reflected by the storm outside.

"And she's okay with all of this?" I asked.

Archie scoffed. "Not likely. But she said she'd help me."

Veronica showed up less than twenty minutes later. Her hair was damp from the rain outside and her eyes were rounded with surprise when she saw me in her boyfriend's living room.

"Sol? What are you-"

"We'll explain everything to you," said Archie quickly.

Veronica nodded indignantly. "Yes, you will," she said, crossing her arms. "After what you just sent me to do - I mean, at least you were smart enough not to keep it in your locker, but a _gun_ , Archie? Why? For what?"

"To protect myself," the redhead said.

Veronica was in disbelief. "Against the Black Hood? Archie, the video... the gun. If I'm following you, I need to know where. I need to know the truth!"

"I want him dead, Veronica!" Archie burst out. "I want the Black Hood dead. And I wanna be the one that does it. That's why I need Sol's help. He has it out for her and if we play our cards right, we can use that against him."

Veronica paled. "You're using Sol as _bait_? What if something goes wrong and the Black Hood kills her, like he tried to do so many others?" she spoke exasperatedly. Though she seemed angrier at Archie than me, she made a point of shooting me a look of disapproval as well.

"That's why I asked you to get my gun," Archie said. "So I can shoot him on sight."

"Okay, so you shoot him. Then what? You go to jail! Or you miss and the Black Hood kills both of you!" Veronica said. "Meanwhile, like an idiot I'm trying to support you by designing t-shirts."

"I didn't ask you to do that," Archie said.

"No, you just asked me to go fetch your loaded gun," Veronica scoffed. "And by the way, in case you were wondering where it is, I threw it in Sweetwater River."

I released a breath and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, before getting up off the couch. "I'll call off the drug deal. We're not heading into those woods without a gun," I said.

Veronica's eyes widened. "A drug deal?"

"Relax, it's just for show," I said. "Some weed to draw the Black Hood out. I asked an old friend of mine to get me some."

"Of course it's an old friend of yours," Veronica muttered. Archie gave her a look, and I arched an eyebrow.

"You're right, we're not all born with a silver spoon in our mouth," I said. "But disrespect me one more time and I'll shove that silver spoon so far down your throat-"

There was a loud knock on the door, just as Archie stopped me from getting in Veronica's face. I wasn't a violent person, but I had no trouble knocking privileged rich girls off their high horses.

I gave Veronica one last nasty look before the three of us went to open the door.

We were all massively surprised to see half the football team (and Dilton Doiley) at Archie's door, with Reggie standing in the front. He was carrying three pizza boxes and his bangs were plastered to his forehead.

"Can we come in?" Reggie asked, but he didn't wait for an answer. Instead he and the rest of the guys poured into the house, finding their way to the living room. I, however, wrapped a hand around Reggie's wrist and held him back momentarily, as the rest left the narrow hallway.

"This isn't a good time, Reg," I said.

"It never is with you," he said with a shrug. "You wanna tell me what you're doing here?"

I said nothing.

Reggie nodded. "That's what I thought." He went and joined the others, leaving me all by myself. I stood there, with a heart that was too heavy for my chest, anxious hands and a feeling of defeat in my stomach. I decided to just leave.

I walked into the living room, ignoring any conversation that was going on, and grabbed my purse off the couch. All the while, Reggie's eyes were following me and I had to pretend like I didn't care. Like it didn't make my stomach roil and my heart flutter.

"The plan's off, Archie," I said. "See you all at school."

But I didn't get very far. The second I opened the front door, I saw a very familiar group of guys mounting the steps.

I frowned. "Sweet Pea," I said, before eyeing the rest. "Guys. What are you all doing here?"

"Sunny. Been a while," said Fogarty.

I nodded, my throat tight with anticipation. This was Archie's house, not mine, which meant these guys had some kind of business with him. This couldn't be good. I turned to Sweet Pea, who was the tallest one of them all. "The deal's off for now, Sweet Pea," I said. "I don't need the weed anymore."

"I'm not surprised. You always seemed too innocent for drugs, no matter how harmless," Sweet Pea said. His tone was lighthearted, but the look on his face was mean. He rarely smiled, if ever. It was one of the things that had scared me about him at first. But underneath, he wasn't all that bad. He'd taught me how to defend myself.

"I'm not innocent," I said.

"Maybe not to these Northsiders," Sweet Pea said, and glanced up as more than a handful of guys poured out into the hallway, Reggie and Archie fronting the others.

"You know these guys?" Archie asked.

I nodded. "They're Serpents," I said. "I went to school with them last year."

"That's an understatement," Sweet Pea said. "But of course Sunny wants to pretend she doesn't have anything to do with the Southside."

I swallowed. "That's not true."

"Oh, it isn't?" Sweet Pea asked. "I'm surprised you're even admitting you know us, now that you're friends with these Northside losers. Say it, you think you're too good for us."

With everyone's eyes on me, I was growing more and more vulnerable. So I reacted the way I always did when I was uncomfortable. I lashed out. "Get over yourself," I said. "We get it, you have an inferiority complex. Now back up and leave before I-"

Sweet Pea's jaw tightened. He took a step forward, but I didn't cower away. "Before you what, princess?"

Reggie stepped forward, despite me grabbing his sleeve in protest. "Touch her and you're dead, snake," he said, as he leveled himself with Sweet Pea. "Bulldogs eat serpents for lunch."

I wrapped both my hands around his bicep to calm him. "Reg, don't."

"That's enough," Archie said, as he stepped in front of me. "Leave her alone, man. Your problem is with me."

"Damn right it is," Sweet Pea said. "You really think you can come to my house, stick a gun in my face in front of my boys, and there wouldn't be any payback?"

I scowled. "Archie, you did what?" I said. I turned to look at Veronica, who only shrugged, helplessly lost. I put a hand on Archie's shoulder and peeked past him at the Serpents. "No one's fighting tonight."

"We'll decide that for ourselves," Sweet Pea said. "If you don't like it, leave. That's what you do best."

"If you wanna fight, we'll fight," Archie said unexpectedly.

Veronica, reflecting my own sentiments, grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "Archie, no."

"Stay here," he said. Veronica's eyes flashed with dread.

"Alright, _Outsiders,_ " I said, crossing my arms. "Go ahead and beat each other up, but no weapons. No blades, knuckle rings or guns, obviously."

"Right," Veronica said. "If you troglodytes insist on doing this, there are gonna be rules. Or should I call Sheriff Keller to be referee?"

Rich girl and I had more in common than I'd thought, apparently. If nothing else, she had spunk.

The guys agreed. I was about to walk out with them, but Archie stopped me. "Stay here with Veronica," he said.

Reggie nodded. "We'll be right back," he said nonchalantly. "This won't take long."

I shook my head. "You don't know who you're dealing with. Serpents may not be as bad as the Ghoulies, but they're still very capable of putting you in the hospital."

"You doubting my brawl, Madani?" Reggie said.

I glared. "No, just your brain. You men and your gross need to assert dominance," I sighed.

"It'll be fine," Reggie said. He turned to walk away, and I reacted instinctively by pulling him back and kissing him hard, the Black Hood and all his threats momentarily forgotten. I had half expected Reggie to reject me in that moment, since he'd seemed upset with me before. But he didn't. He kissed me back with just as much force, if not more.

It wasn't fair. It just couldn't be normal how I got needier with every kiss. The butterflies in my stomach weren't butterflies anymore. They were birds aggressively flapping up a storm.

He barely gave me a smirk when he pulled away. Then he hopped down the steps to join his teammates.

I went back inside with Veronica, who looked as tense as I felt.

"I hate this," she said. "Boys are so dumb."

"This Northside-Southside thing is going to end up destroying Riverdale," I sighed. "And I'm caught in the middle of it."

"I'm sorry," said Veronica unexpectedly. "For what I said earlier. The dig I made at you. It wasn't fair."

I shrugged. "It's okay."

"So..." Veronica made her way over to the couch. "You and Reggie? Really?"

I chuckled under my breath. "It's complicated."

"I'll bet."

"He's not perfect, but I like him that way. I like that he's a piece of work. It's endearing," I said.

Veronica smiled. "Hey, I'm not judging. I think y'all are good together. He needs someone to keep his head screwed on straight."

"Hell, he might lose it in this rumble," I huffed. "Remind me why I couldn't just find a nice, quiet, studious kid to crush on?"

"Well, it's not as exciting, I suppose," Veronica joked.

"Right," I muttered.

All of a sudden, Veronica jumped out of the arm chair and said, "I can't take this. We gotta stop them."

"Agreed," I said. "Got any suggestions?"

Veronica sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out the exact gun she'd claimed to have thrown in Sweetwater River. I arched an eyebrow. "Okay, suggestions that don't involve shooting someone," I said.

Veronica gave me a look. "Relax, it's just for show," she said. I smiled.

"Gotcha," I said, before following the shorter girl outside. The rain was still pouring, but neither of us seemed to care. We made it to the end of the street, where sounds of fighting could already be heard.

The two groups were going at it in a vacant parking lot, and it wasn't pretty.

"Cover your ears," Veronica said, loudly. I did, and she shot the gun in the air, the sound echoing like the thunder that followed.

The fighting came to a halt, and as the Serpents retreated, I caught sight of Reggie supporting a badly wounded Dilton a few yards to my left. I ran towards the pair, barely able to see where I was going in the pouring rain.

"Are you okay?" I asked immediately.

Reggie nodded. "Fine. Can you get my car keys out of my pocket? Doiley needs a hospital," he said. I shoved a hand into the pocket of his RH jacket and pulled out his keys, before moving out of the way so he could support and carry Dilton towards his Chevrolet, which was parked just around the corner.

I unlocked the doors and assisted Reggie in putting Dilton in the passanger's seat, before handing him the keys.

"I'll come with," I said. "Hell, you might have a concussion from fighting. Maybe I should drive."

"I said I'm fine," Reggie repeated. "But suit yourself. If you wanna come, get in."

I didn't even bother saying good-bye to Archie or Veronica. I hurriedly got in the backseat of Reggie's car and buckled up as he drove off, instructing Dilton to lie to anyone who might ask him how he got his stab wound. Dilton's grunting and moaning encouraged me to reach out and squeeze his shoulder. There wasn't much else I could do to help with the pain.

When we got to the hospital, I ran in first to ask the nurses for help with my wounded friend. Soon, Reggie came in with Dilton under his arm. The doctors and nurses took the injured boy off his hands and directed him to the emergency room, while Reggie and I stayed behind, both drenched from head to toe.

"What a night," I said, blinking the mascara out of my eyes. My makeup was probably running all the way down to my chin, but for once, I didn't care. I turned to look at Reggie, finally getting a clear look at his face under the bright hospital lights. His cheekbone was bruised and he had a cut on his chin. I didn't want to make a comment about it, so instead I gently wrapped both of my arms around his waist and put my cheek against his collarbone, like a kitten rubbing up against its mother.

I didn't know if I did this to receive or give affection - maybe it was both - but it felt more than right when Reggie put one arm around my shoulders protectively and tangled the fingers on his other hand in my hair, his chin resting on the top of my head.

I felt him move his jaw, as if to say something, but the buzzing in my back pocket distracted me. My dad was calling me. I picked up reluctantly.

"Hello?"

"Sol? Do you have any idea what time it is?" he said immediately. "Are you still at Archie's?"

"Uh, no," I said. "No, I'm at the hospital. Something happened. I'm fine, though."

"The hospital? What are you at the hospital for?"

"My friend got hurt. I'll come home as soon as I know he's oka-"

"Stay there, I'm coming to pick you up. Be in the parking lot in twenty minutes," my father said, already on his feet by the sounds of it. I sighed, knowing I couldn't possibly change his mind when he was in a mood like that. Unless -

"No, I've got a ride," I said. "Reggie's driving me home."

"Who's Reggie again?"

"You don't know him. Gotta go, Dad. I'll see you in a little bit." I hung up the phone, mildly irritated by how he couldn't just leave me be. I couldn't blame him, though. There was too much going on for him to not be concerned when I wasn't home by one a.m.

Reggie pursed his lips. "Let's go, then," was the only thing he said.

We drove in silence for a while, listening to old tracks on the radio. "So," he said finally, as he turned the radio down. "You and Andrews have been hanging out. You know he's with that cheerleader, right?"

I snorted at how casual he was trying to sound. "I'm aware. And, uh, it's not what you think."

"So you don't have a thing for redheads?" he asked, his lips pouted contemplatively.

"I might," I laughed. "But I'm not into Archie. I was at his house tonight, because we were... well, we were coming up with a plan to..." I trailed off as I saw something flash in the corner of my eye. We were on a narrow street near the woods, and there weren't a whole lot of lights around, so it was hard to see the hooded man dressed in black standing in the middle of the road.

I gasped. "Reggie, watch out!"

But it was too late. The man had already shot the flashy silver gun he was holding, the bullet breaking through the windshield of the car. The wheel spun out of control as Reggie turned left, sending us scouring over the side of the road, the sidewalk and then halfway into the woods.

I vaguely remember him putting out his arm in front of me to keep me in my seat, but this attempt was in vain. We'd come to a violent halt against the side of a tree. My eyes were crossing by the time I'd caught my breath, my neck and shoulders sore as hell from the impact.

I painfully turned my head to see if Reggie was okay, but his forehead lay flat against the steering wheel, his eyes closed. I saw blood trickling down the side of his face. I would have screamed, but I couldn't make a sound. I was panicked on the inside, terrified for Reggie's well-being and horrifically afraid that the Black Hood would come back and finish the job, but I wasn't able to move at all.

The car door opened only moments later. Someone undid my seatbelt and pulled me out by my arms, dragging me over the forest ground until I was at the foot of a large tree. My vision was distorted, but I could clearly make out the black mask and dark clothes of the man that was distancing me from Reggie and the car.

For a second, I thought the Black Hood might leave me there, but when I felt two hands close around my throat, I knew he had other plans for me. I found the strength to make half an attempt at struggling against the man choking me, but it was no use.

As my windpipe closed up and I was denied all oxygen, I managed to make a sound, albeit a small one. I heard the Black Hood breathe heavily, saw his eyes widen with delight. He wasn't out for justice. He was a manipulative sadist who loved playing sick games.

My head felt like it was about to explode with a lack of air. My mouth filled with blood. My windpipe was going to collapse under the pressure soon. I was done for.

I shut my eyes tightly, just praying for it to be over soon. I wanted the pain to stop.

And it did.

I felt the Black Hood jerk back, heard Reggie's hoarse voice. Slow fighting sounds. Police sirens. I could breathe again.

Someone hovered over me, gentler this time. I didn't have to open my eyes to know it was Reggie, his hands sluggish and uncoordinated as he grabbed my face. He tried to lift me halfway to a sitting position, but he didn't have the strength either.

"Son, you gotta back up," said a man's voice. "Men, put her on the stretcher."

Reggie mumbled something I couldn't hear as I felt myself being moved onto a different, smoother surface. Was that the stretcher? It must have been. I opened my eyes momentarily and found myself staring up at three different faces. Two of them were unfamiliar to me, but the third belonged to Reggie.

He was bruised, bloody and pale, but the most heartbreaking thing was the way he was looking at me. We were inside the ambulance now, the sirens still blasting. The rest was hazy.

I passed out only seconds after.

 **I've been planning this scene for so longㅠㅠ I'm glad I finally got to write it. I'm an angst junkie if you couldn't tell lol. Let me know what you think, as always! Speculations are welcome, as well! See y'all next chapter :)**


End file.
